Laughter, shouts, and buzzing conversations surrounded me, only slightly overshadowed by the loud pop music blaring through the speakers. For what felt like the hundredth time tonight, I let my eyes wander across the packed living room, searching for the only person I hadn't seen tonight.
Suz hung onto Nick's shoulder, her eyes closed but her mouth kept forming words, probably mumbling a tirade of incoherent sentences. She'd already drunk half a bottle of wine. A few meters down, Jules stood next to Cody, talking animatedly. I was surprised at how well he got along with the guys. They kept trying to get him to come train with them. Whatever that meant.
Still, I couldn't spot that annoyingly handsome face and broad set of shoulders anywhere. Where was Killian?
I'd barely gotten a glimpse of him after he'd returned from dropping off Alicia. That had been yesterday. Today, I hadn't seen him at all. Maybe he left to go somewhere? Or...meet someone?
I chewed on my lower lip. Not that I minded having some Killian free time for a change. It was just...strange. Usually, he was everywhere. Especially, when I didn't want to see him. I could text him of course. But why would I, when we lived in the same house?
Alicia was making her way up to Cody. Her white-blond hair was styled in long glossy waves that cascaded down her back. She looked stunning in her tight black dress. I'd opted to wear skinny jeans and a fitted sweatshirt. Next to her... Wait. What the hell? Why was I comparing myself to her anyways?
She tugged on Cody's sleeve, her mouth forming words. I sneaked a little closer until I was in hearing range but covered behind Jules' back.
"He should be around somewhere. Maybe check the garage again," Cody said.
Did Cody just lie? With a straight face? I didn't know he had it in him, because one thing was for sure; Killian was definitely not around, and especially not in the garage. I'd just come from there.
"I already did. I didn't find him. Look, I wanted to thank him for the other day—"
"I really don't know where he is," he cut her off bluntly.
Again, I had the sinking feeling that I was missing some crucial background information. Cody wasn't the type to talk like this, especially not to a girl.
Her expression slipped. "Fine. I will find him myself." She caught sight of me as she turned away and her eyes narrowed, but then she dodged through the throng of people and was gone. Probably looking for Killian again.
My fingers clenched around the water in my hand. Which was perfectly fine with me. I didn't care one bit that we hadn't really talked since he'd picked her up. Not at all.
A glance at the large grandfather clock said we had fifteen minutes until midnight. No wonder Alicia was in such a hurry. I bet they were going to have a great time...
I stomped my foot and scratched my scalp. I really had to clear my head.
Jules shot me a confused look, but I waved him off, squeezed myself through the packed living, and escaped up the stairs. Nobody aside from us was allowed up here. I trudged towards the back and out to the large balcony covered by a thick wooden roof. Finally, the noise from the party quieted and some of the tension left me.
My breath rose in thick, misty clouds. In front of me, the bustling lights of the town illuminated the snow-covered rooftops and streets.
A light breeze picked up and, in an instant, shivers raced down my body. I rubbed my arms and heaved a sigh. Maybe this wasn't the best place to hide until midnight passed. Would anyone know if I went to my room? Suzy was wasted, so probably not.
I walked back and pulled on the door.
The knob didn't turn.
Well. Shit.
I had forgotten to leave it open. My hands ran over my pockets before I stopped. I'd left my phone in my room, so I wasn't tempted to text someone... Double Shit.
I raised my knuckles and knocked on the freezing glass as loud as possible. Then I waited. The only thing I heard was the low drumming of the bass downstairs.
I paced, tugging my frigid hands under my armpits. Why was I so distracted today?
I ran towards the railing and yelled loudly. The only reply was the wind softly rustling through the empty branches. The noise from the party drowned out all the other sounds. And no one else was stupid enough to go outside. Except me. Of course.
Tremors wracked my limbs and I had to clench my jaw to keep it from chattering. How long until someone would come to check? The party was probably going to last till morning. I leaned over the side, trying to estimate the distance. Probably three to four feet down and the ground was covered in a thick pile of snow. It should be fine, right?
Carefully, I climbed onto the railing. I tried to peer down when my clammy hands suddenly lost their grip. My heart jumped into my throat as I slid over the icy wood. A gasp escaped my lips as I finally caught myself.
Okay, frozen surfaces were slippery. Should have anticipated that.
My stomach flopped as I glanced down again. The ground seemed to stretch away from me but the pillowing snow was beckoning. Except that it might not be as deep as I would expect. On that note, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
I was about to get down when I heard my name being called in a subdued voice. Somebody was out there?
I leaned over the barrier, searching the yard.
A hand clasped my arm and with a yelp, I was yanked backward so fast we both tumbled to the ground. Somewhere above my ear, a low, angry voice rasped out, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
I knew that voice. He clutched me so hard I could feel his chest rising against my back. "Ki-Killian?"
He hunched forward, resting his forehead on my shoulders. A blanket fanned out on each side of us. "Who do you think?" he countered weakly.
I grew motionless, my focus trained on the uneven rise and fall of his chest and the palpable heat radiating from his body.
"Killian," I said tentatively. "Are you sick?"
He didn't reply. His hot breath ran down my back and my heartbeat did some weird jumpy thing.
I coughed lightly. "You have to go inside."
He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
"What was that?" I asked, turning my head.
"Don't want to," he mumbled against my neck.
I gawked at him. What did he mean he didn't want to? "What are you saying? First, let go of me. I will–"
He finally lifted his head to glare at me and I stopped talking. In the sparse light, his hazel eyes appeared darker, taking on a warm, liquid-brown hue. Our faces were mere inches apart. "Don't want to," he said louder this time.
"Just let go of me for now, okay?"
He sagged. His chest pressed against my back and both arms loosely wrapped around me. "Can't."
"Of-of course, you can." Why did it feel as if I was coaxing a child?
"No." His tone was rough. "Whenever I'm not paying attention, you end up doing something stupid."
I quickly looked away, heat spreading over my cheeks. "I am not doing it intentionally. I knocked, okay? But nobody heard me."
"Uh-huh." His husky tickled my ears, making me fidget.
"I swear."
"I heard you knocking," he said quietly.
His arms encircled me, cocooning me in a bubble of warmth. I let out a sigh as my muscles unclenched. "Oh...you did?"
"You cannot wait one minute... Why did you immediately have to try to climb down?"
"I wasn't going to climb down. I just checked if it was possible," I said and pinched my lips. He always had to point it out, didn't he?
He grumbled, "Well, I see you sitting on the railing. What am I supposed to think?"
"Why did you have to be so slow?" I shot back.
"Well, you could be more grateful, you know."
Damn it. I will show you grateful....
"You have my thanks, oh–"
He shifted me on his lap, and the blanket wrapped around us both. "Great."
"What?"
"Keep going. Oh great–"
This guy was really pushing it today. My brain must have had some sort of malfunctioning earlier. There was no way I'd missed his presence.
"Oh great Ki–"
"Amazing," he interrupted me again.
My fist pressed against my thigh. He wanted me to hit him, didn't he? "Fine. Oh great, amazing Kil–"
"You forgot handsome."
I was really glad he couldn't see my face at this moment or all my words would have been rendered useless."You are really pushing it today."
"Mhm," he agreed, but I could hear the smile in his voice.
The chill from being outside had completely subsided. I felt as if I was wrapped up in my own personal heater.
It felt. Nice. A bit too nice, I realized with a sense of alarm... I stiffened and pushed at his arms. "Will you let go of me now or what?"
He loosened his hold but as soon as the icy air bit into my skin, I started shivering and he hugged me again. "You are really difficult sometimes."
As if to spite my own words my body sank into him. I usually wasn't this...comfortable being close to guys. Then again, he was the only thing keeping me from freezing my ass off so there was that. "We still need to go back inside," I said tentatively.
"In a second..."
Okay. Time for a different tactic. "Why? Did you fall for me? Did you get deluded because you helped me out a few times?"
Killian just sighed again. "I'm sick. How are you treating a sick person, huh? A sick person who had to come out into the cold because he noticed someone doing something stupid again?"
"Exactly!" I said a bit too loudly. "It's cold, plus you're sick. We should get you inside." And apparently, I didn't have the will to move first...
"It's fine. You're warm. Besides, it should be starting anytime now?"
I turned to look at him. "What's starting–"
My question got answered a second later. I whipped around as fireworks exploded in the sky all around us. At the same time, loud cheers erupted from downstairs. The new year had begun.
Before I knew it, I had rested my back against Killian's chest, drinking in the swirling colors of red, blue, pink, green, and yellow that painted the sky. We had to have about the best view from up here.
His hold tightened, sending a nervous flutter through my stomach. But... If we went inside now the fireworks would probably be over by the time I managed to find my jacket and came back outside. Yeah, that was it.
At some point, Killian's forehead dropped on my shoulder again. His muscles flexed, trying to cover the small tremors wracking his body until he was full-out shaking. I angled my head. The cascade of eruptions illuminated his pale face, making the shadows under his eyes even more pronounced.
"Killian, get up." I grabbed his arms.
I stood first and immediately regretted leaving his embrace as the winter air instantly stripped me of all the warmth I'd accumulated. I tried to pull him up but he barely budged. "Ki–Killi–an, ge-t up!"
With another pull, Killian finally got to his feet but his big frame swayed, and his eyes were still closed. The blanket slid off his shoulders. I snatched it up and had to use my whole body to steady him. "Je–jeez," I said but I couldn't completely hide the worry in my tone. "I th-ink be–tween t–the tw–o of us y–you are t–the real –st–stup–id one."
His body trembled, either due to the cold or maybe he was laughing at me. I couldn't tell. Somehow I managed to drag his heavy ass back inside—he hadn't let the door shut—and into bed.
He shifted, and then I was caught in his gaze. His hair was tousled and dark stubble lined his jaw, giving him a sort of sexy-messy look, which he totally pulled off. Fuck.
His hands reached up, the warm palm cupping my face. My breath hitched, but for some reason, I couldn't look away.
"Happy new year, princess." His hand dropped and his eyes closed.
I stared at him, stunned. He was completely knocked out.